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{{Short description|Germanic language}}
{{Template:Dutch dialects}}
{{cleanup reorganize|date=August 2017}}
]
{{expand Dutch|topic=cult|otherarticle=West-Vlaams|date=November 2012}}
'''West Flemish''' (West Flemish: ''Vlaemsch'', ]: ''West-Vlaams'', ]: ''Flamand occidental'') is a group of dialects spoken in parts of the ], ], and ].
{{Infobox language
| name = West Flemish
| altname =
| nativename = ''West-Vlaams''
| states = Belgium, Netherlands, France
| region = ]
| speakers = {{sigfig|1.424|2}} million
| date = 1998
| ref = e18
| familycolor = Indo-European
| fam2 = ]
| fam3 = ]
| fam4 = ]
| fam5 = ]
| fam6 = ]
| dia1 = ]
| dia2 = ]
| lc1 = vls
| ld1 = (West) Vlaams
| lc2 = zea
| ld2 = ] (Zeeuws)
| lingua = 52-ACB-ag
| glotto = sout3292
| glottoname = Southwestern Dutch
| glotto2 = vlaa1240
| glottoname2 = Western Flemish
| map2 = Lang Status 80-VU.svg
| mapcaption2 = {{center|{{small|West Flemish is classified as Vulnerable by the ] ]}}}}
}}


'''West Flemish''' (''West-Vlams'' or ''West-Vloams'' or ''Vlaemsch'' (in ]), {{langx|nl|West-Vlaams}}, {{langx|fr|link=no|flamand occidental}}) is a collection of ] varieties spoken in western Belgium and the neighbouring areas of France and the Netherlands.
The West Flemish dialect is spoken by around 1.05 million people in ] (in Belgium), 90,000 in the neighboring ] coastal district of ], and approximately 20,000 in the northern part of the ] '']'' of ] where it is classified as one of the ].


West Flemish is spoken by about a million people in the Belgian province of ], and a further 50,000 in the neighbouring Dutch coastal district of ] (200,000 if including the closely related dialects of ]) and 10-20,000 in the northern part of the French department of ].<ref name="e18" /> Some of the main cities where West Flemish is widely spoken are ], ], ], ], ] and ].
The dialects of the Dutch province of ], ], are sometimes also classified under ''West Flemish'' ] Dutch but this is sometimes disputed. The dialects of Zeelandic Flanders however ''do'' count as West Flemish variants. In fact, both dialects are linked by a ] which proceeds further north into Hollandic.


West Flemish is listed as a "vulnerable" language in ]'s online ].<ref>{{Cite web
West Flemish is very different from standard Dutch in pronunciation as well as vocabulary and grammar, to the extent that it's quite unintelligible to Dutch speakers unaccustomed to the dialect. A simple phrase like "''Ik ben gisteren nog bij hen geweest''" (I was at their place only yesterday) will be pronounced as "'' 'k zyn histern no(c)h toet ulders (h)ewist''". <div style="margin-bottom:-.5em;">{{clear}}</div>
| title = UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101030021439/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00206
| archive-date= 30 October 2010
| url-status= dead
|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/home|access-date=2023-02-07
| publisher= United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization }}</ref>
{{Dutch dialects}}
]
] in France, in 1874 and 1972]]
{{clear left}}

]

==Phonology==
West Flemish has a phonology that differs significantly from that of Standard Dutch, being similar to ] in the case of long E, O and A. Also where Standard Dutch has ''sch'', in some parts of West Flanders, West-Flemish, like Afrikaans, has ''sk''. However, the best known traits are the replacement of Standard Dutch (pre-)velar fricatives ''g'' and ''ch'' in Dutch ({{IPA|/x, ɣ/}}) with glottal ''h'' {{IPA|}},. The following differences are listed by their Dutch spelling, as some different letters have merged their sounds in Standard Dutch but remained separate sounds in West Flemish. Pronunciations can also differ slightly from region to region.

* ''sch'' - {{IPA|/sx/}} is realised as {{IPA|}}, {{IPA|}} or {{IPA|}} (''sh'' or ''sk'').
* ''ei'' - {{IPA|/ɛi/}} is realised as {{IPA|}} or {{IPA|}} (''è'' or ''jè'').
* ''ij '' - {{IPA|/ɛi/}} is realised as {{IPA|}} (short ''ie'', also written as ''y'') and in some words as {{IPA|}}.
* ''ui '' - {{IPA|/œy/}} is realised as {{IPA|}} (short ''u'') and in some words as {{IPA|}}.
* ''au'' - {{IPA|/ʌu/}} is realised as {{IPA|}} (''ow'')
* ''ou'' - {{IPA|/ʌu/}} is realised as {{IPA|}} (short ''oe''), it is very similar to the long "oe" that is also used in Standard Dutch ({{IPA|}}), which can cause confusion
* ''e'' - {{IPA|/ɛ/}} is realised as {{IPA|}} or {{IPA|}}.
* ''i'' - {{IPA|/ɪ/}} is realised as {{IPA|}}.
* ''ie'' - {{IPA|/i/}} is longer {{IPA|}}
* ''aa'' - {{IPA|/aː/}} is realised as {{IPA|}}.

The absence of {{IPA|/x/}} and {{IPA|/ɣ/}} in West Flemish makes pronouncing them very difficult for native speakers. That often causes ] of the {{IPA|/h/}} sounds to a {{IPA|/x/}} or {{IPA|/ɣ/}}.

Standard Dutch also has many words with an ''-en'' ({{IPA|/ən/}}) suffix (mostly plural forms of verbs and nouns). While Standard Dutch and most dialects do not pronounce the final ''n'', West Flemish typically drops the ''e'' and pronounces the ''n'' inside the base word. For base words already ending with ''n'', the final ''n'' sound is often lengthened to clarify the suffix. That makes many words become similar to those of English: ''beaten'', ''listen'' etc.

The short ''o'' ({{IPA|}}) can also be pronounced as a short ''u'' ({{IPA|}}), a phenomenon also occurring in ] and some other ], called ]. That happens spontaneously to some words, but other words keep their original short ''o'' sounds. Similarly, the short ''a'' ({{IPA|}}) can turn into a short ''o'' ({{IPA|}}) in some words spontaneously.

The diphthong ''ui'' ({{IPA|/œy/}}) does not exist in West Flemish and is replaced by a long ''u'' ({{IPA|}}) or a long ''ie'' ({{IPA|}}). Like for the ''ui'', the long ''o'' ({{IPA|}}) can be replaced by an {{IPA|}} (''eu'') for some words but a {{IPA|}} for others. That often causes similarities to ranchers English. {{clarification needed|reason=what is “ranchers English”?|date=January 2022}}

Here are some examples showing the sound shifts that are part of the vocabulary:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dutch !! West Flemish !! English
|-
| vol (short ''o'') || vul {{IPA|}}|| full
|-
| zon (short ''o'') || zunne {{IPA|}}|| sun
|-
| boter (long ''o'') || beuter {{IPA|}}|| butter
|-
| boot (long ''o'') || boot {{IPA|}} || boat
|-
| kuiken || kiek'n {{IPA|}} || chick
|-
| bruin || brun {{IPA|}} || brown
|}

== Grammar ==
=== Plural form ===
Plural forms in Standard Dutch most often add ''-en'', but West Flemish usually uses ''-s'', like the Low Saxon dialects and even more prominently in English in which ''-en'' has become very rare. Under the influence of Standard Dutch, ''-s'' is being used by fewer people, and younger speakers tend to use ''-en''.

=== Verb conjugation ===
The verbs ''zijn'' ("to be") and ''hebben'' ("to have") are also conjugated differently.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dutch !! West Flemish !! English !! Dutch !! West Flemish !! English
|-
| zijn || zyn || to be || hebben || èn || to have
|-
| ik ben || 'k zyn || I am || ik heb || 'k è || I have
|-
| jij bent || gy zyt || you are || jij hebt || gy èt || you have
|-
| hij is || ie is || he is || hij heeft || ie èt || he has
|-
| wij zijn || wydder zyn || we are || wij hebben || wydder èn || we have
|-
| jullie zijn || gydder zyt || you are || jullie hebben || gydder èt || you have
|-
| zij zijn || zydder zyn || they are || zij hebben || zydder èn || they have
|}

=== Double subject ===
West Flemish often has a double subject.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dutch !! West Flemish !! English
|-
| {{lang|nl|Jij hebt dat gedaan.}} || {{lang|vls|'''G{{'}}''' èt '''gy''' da gedoan.}} || You have done that.
|-
| {{lang|nl|Ik heb dat niet gedaan.}} || {{lang|vls|'''{{'}}K''' èn '''ekik''' da nie gedoan.}} || I didn't do that.
|}

=== Articles ===
Standard Dutch has an indefinite article that does not depend on gender, unlike in West Flemish. However, a gender-independent article is increasingly used. Like in English, ''n'' is pronounced only if the next word begins with a vowel sound.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dutch !! West Flemish !! English
|-
| een stier (m) || ne stier || a bull
|-
| een koe (f) || e koeje || a cow
|-
| een kalf (o) || e kolf || a calf
|-
| een aap (m) || nen oap || an ape
|-
| een huis (o) || en 'us || a house
|}

=== Conjugation of ''yes'' and ''no'' ===
Another feature of West Flemish is the conjugation of ''ja'' and ''nee'' ("yes" and "no") to the subject of the sentence. That is somewhat related to the double subject, but even when the rest of the sentence is not pronounced, ''ja'' and ''nee'' are generally used with the first part of the double subject.

This conjugation can be negated with the extra word, ''toet'' ({{IPA|}}), or strenght strengthened by adding mo- or ba- (or both).

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dutch !! West Flemish !! English
|-
| Heb jij dat gedaan? - Ja / Nee || Èj gy da gedoan? - Joak / Nink|| Did you do that? - Yes / No
|-
| Je hebt dat niet gedaan, hé? - Maar jawel || G'èt da nie gedoan, é? - Bajoak (ja'k en doe 't) || You didn't do that, eh? - On the contrary (But yes I did).
|-
| Heeft hij dat gedaan? - Ja / Nee || Èt ie (ne) da gedoan? - Joaj/Nij (Joan / Nin)|| Did he do that? - Yes / No
|-
| Gaan we verder? - Ja / Nee || Zyn me? - Joam / Nim || Can we go? - Yes / No
|}


A classic example is its unique conjugation of yes (ja) and no (nee):
:''jaok'' (ja ik = "Yes, I do", "Yes, I have", "Yes, I am", etc. in English)
:''jaog'' (ja gij = Yes, you do"... - singular)
:''jaoj / jaos / jaot'' (ja hij/zij/het = "Yes, he/she/it does"...)
:''jaow'' (ja wij = "Yes, we do"...)
:''jaog'' (ja gij = "Yes, you do"... - plural)
:''jaos'' (ja zij = "Yes, they do"...)
== See also == == See also ==
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ] - i.e. ''Flemings''
* ] (''Flemings'' or ''Vlamingen'')
* ]
* ]
* ]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{citation
|last=Debrabandere
|first=Frans
|chapter=Kortrijk
|editor-last1=Kruijsen
|editor-first1=Joep
|editor-last2=van der Sijs
|editor-first2=Nicoline
|title=Honderd Jaar Stadstaal
|publisher=Uitgeverij Contact
|date=1999
|pages=289–299
|chapter-url=http://dbnl.org/arch/sijs002hond01_01/pag/sijs002hond01_01.pdf
}}
{{refend}}


== External links == == External links ==
{{commons category|West Flemish language}}
*
* *


{{InterWiki|code=vls}} {{InterWiki|code=vls}}
{{Languages of Belgium}}
{{Languages of the Benelux}}
{{Germanic languages}}
{{Authority control}}


] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

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Latest revision as of 10:25, 27 November 2024

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West Flemish
West-Vlaams
Native toBelgium, Netherlands, France
RegionWest Flanders
Native speakers(1.4 million cited 1998)
Language familyIndo-European
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
vls – (West) Vlaams
zea – Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
Glottologsout3292  Southwestern Dutch
vlaa1240  Western Flemish
Linguasphere52-ACB-ag
West Flemish is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

West Flemish (West-Vlams or West-Vloams or Vlaemsch (in French Flanders), Dutch: West-Vlaams, French: flamand occidental) is a collection of Low Franconian varieties spoken in western Belgium and the neighbouring areas of France and the Netherlands.

West Flemish is spoken by about a million people in the Belgian province of West Flanders, and a further 50,000 in the neighbouring Dutch coastal district of Zeelandic Flanders (200,000 if including the closely related dialects of Zeelandic) and 10-20,000 in the northern part of the French department of Nord. Some of the main cities where West Flemish is widely spoken are Bruges, Dunkirk, Kortrijk, Ostend, Roeselare and Ypres.

West Flemish is listed as a "vulnerable" language in UNESCO's online Red Book of Endangered Languages.

This article is a part of a series on
Dutch
Low Saxon dialects
West Low Franconian dialects
East Low Franconian dialects
Position of West Flemish (colour: light blue) among the other minority languages, regional languages and dialects in Belgium, the Netherlands and French department Nord
Flemish (green) and French (red/brown) as spoken in the arrondissement of Dunkirk in France, in 1874 and 1972
Bachten de Kupe [nl; vls] scenic road sign.

Phonology

West Flemish has a phonology that differs significantly from that of Standard Dutch, being similar to Afrikaans in the case of long E, O and A. Also where Standard Dutch has sch, in some parts of West Flanders, West-Flemish, like Afrikaans, has sk. However, the best known traits are the replacement of Standard Dutch (pre-)velar fricatives g and ch in Dutch (/x, ɣ/) with glottal h ,. The following differences are listed by their Dutch spelling, as some different letters have merged their sounds in Standard Dutch but remained separate sounds in West Flemish. Pronunciations can also differ slightly from region to region.

  • sch - /sx/ is realised as , or (sh or sk).
  • ei - /ɛi/ is realised as or (è or jè).
  • ij - /ɛi/ is realised as (short ie, also written as y) and in some words as .
  • ui - /œy/ is realised as (short u) and in some words as .
  • au - /ʌu/ is realised as (ow)
  • ou - /ʌu/ is realised as (short oe), it is very similar to the long "oe" that is also used in Standard Dutch (), which can cause confusion
  • e - /ɛ/ is realised as or .
  • i - /ɪ/ is realised as .
  • ie - /i/ is longer
  • aa - /aː/ is realised as .

The absence of /x/ and /ɣ/ in West Flemish makes pronouncing them very difficult for native speakers. That often causes hypercorrection of the /h/ sounds to a /x/ or /ɣ/.

Standard Dutch also has many words with an -en (/ən/) suffix (mostly plural forms of verbs and nouns). While Standard Dutch and most dialects do not pronounce the final n, West Flemish typically drops the e and pronounces the n inside the base word. For base words already ending with n, the final n sound is often lengthened to clarify the suffix. That makes many words become similar to those of English: beaten, listen etc.

The short o () can also be pronounced as a short u (), a phenomenon also occurring in Russian and some other Slavic languages, called akanye. That happens spontaneously to some words, but other words keep their original short o sounds. Similarly, the short a () can turn into a short o () in some words spontaneously.

The diphthong ui (/œy/) does not exist in West Flemish and is replaced by a long u () or a long ie (). Like for the ui, the long o () can be replaced by an (eu) for some words but a for others. That often causes similarities to ranchers English.

Here are some examples showing the sound shifts that are part of the vocabulary:

Dutch West Flemish English
vol (short o) vul full
zon (short o) zunne sun
boter (long o) beuter butter
boot (long o) boot boat
kuiken kiek'n chick
bruin brun brown

Grammar

Plural form

Plural forms in Standard Dutch most often add -en, but West Flemish usually uses -s, like the Low Saxon dialects and even more prominently in English in which -en has become very rare. Under the influence of Standard Dutch, -s is being used by fewer people, and younger speakers tend to use -en.

Verb conjugation

The verbs zijn ("to be") and hebben ("to have") are also conjugated differently.

Dutch West Flemish English Dutch West Flemish English
zijn zyn to be hebben èn to have
ik ben 'k zyn I am ik heb 'k è I have
jij bent gy zyt you are jij hebt gy èt you have
hij is ie is he is hij heeft ie èt he has
wij zijn wydder zyn we are wij hebben wydder èn we have
jullie zijn gydder zyt you are jullie hebben gydder èt you have
zij zijn zydder zyn they are zij hebben zydder èn they have

Double subject

West Flemish often has a double subject.

Dutch West Flemish English
Jij hebt dat gedaan. G' èt gy da gedoan. You have done that.
Ik heb dat niet gedaan. 'K èn ekik da nie gedoan. I didn't do that.

Articles

Standard Dutch has an indefinite article that does not depend on gender, unlike in West Flemish. However, a gender-independent article is increasingly used. Like in English, n is pronounced only if the next word begins with a vowel sound.

Dutch West Flemish English
een stier (m) ne stier a bull
een koe (f) e koeje a cow
een kalf (o) e kolf a calf
een aap (m) nen oap an ape
een huis (o) en 'us a house

Conjugation of yes and no

Another feature of West Flemish is the conjugation of ja and nee ("yes" and "no") to the subject of the sentence. That is somewhat related to the double subject, but even when the rest of the sentence is not pronounced, ja and nee are generally used with the first part of the double subject.

This conjugation can be negated with the extra word, toet (), or strenght strengthened by adding mo- or ba- (or both).

Dutch West Flemish English
Heb jij dat gedaan? - Ja / Nee Èj gy da gedoan? - Joak / Nink Did you do that? - Yes / No
Je hebt dat niet gedaan, hé? - Maar jawel G'èt da nie gedoan, é? - Bajoak (ja'k en doe 't) You didn't do that, eh? - On the contrary (But yes I did).
Heeft hij dat gedaan? - Ja / Nee Èt ie (ne) da gedoan? - Joaj/Nij (Joan / Nin) Did he do that? - Yes / No
Gaan we verder? - Ja / Nee Zyn me? - Joam / Nim Can we go? - Yes / No

See also

References

  1. ^ (West) Vlaams at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Zeelandic (Zeeuws) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. "UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger". United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 2023-02-07.

Further reading

  • Debrabandere, Frans (1999), "Kortrijk" (PDF), in Kruijsen, Joep; van der Sijs, Nicoline (eds.), Honderd Jaar Stadstaal, Uitgeverij Contact, pp. 289–299

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